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New week, new headache!

FTM here. I've been trying to post on this forum since we got home from the hospital and that was 3 weeks ago! Finally, the site decided to let me complete my registration, so I will now explain myself and ask....and vent.

My LO is 3 weeks old. In the hospital the LC's adamantly encouraged skin to skin contact and also breast feeding right after she was born via c-section. I was so upset I had to have the surgery, the nurses knew how important breast feeding was to me so they wheeled me into recovery and I saw my girl within minutes. I didn't really understand how to feed her at first or how to hold her to nurse. She found my nipple during skin to skin and I was able to nurse for a moment before we needed to get back to the room and they cleaned her up. After that it was a nightmare. Her latch wasn't correct and by the end of our first night in the hospital, my nipples were bleeding and scabbed over. SO PAINFUL! Anyway, the LC's were amazing and helped me so much. When I went home I was feeling better about the nursing, but couldn't truly tell if it had improved because I was so sore. Well, after our first week home I was so upset, I was in tears crying while nursing her because of the pain. I was truly lost and had no hope. Finally my DH and I broke down and gave her the little 2 oz bottle of formula from the hospital. I felt awful...betrayed by my body especially after my unplanned c-section. I knew she needed to eat though, and the formula got her to bed. At that time I didn't know I could've pumped a bottle instead, so that's why I gave the formula. After that I decided to go to the LC again. They had been so nice, calling ME to check up on me since I went home and making sure I was doing better...

We determined that my LO was eating about 2 oz and was getting enough milk, but her latch was really hurting me still. After she worked with us, I was more confident when I went home. That was when my LO was about 1.5 weeks old. Since, she has gotten to be much better at latching. She was past her birth weight at her 2 week check up as well so I was relieved to know she was getting enough.

Until the other day, she won't latch big anymore! She isn't just on the tip of the nipple, but only has a small section of the areola in her mouth. It isn't painful at all (I'm recovering from a cracked nipple on one breast too) and I hear her swallowing...but it's making me nervous because she all of a sudden quit napping between feeds. It's like she won't settle. Her pee/poopy diaper output is normal, she is dirtying diapers round the clock. She also would not get calm last night around midnight. Usually my DH will give her pumped milk at midnight so I can get SOME sleep. She will pass right out. Last night she devoured 4 oz in 1-2 hours time and wouldn't pass out! Finally I put her down in her bassinet at 3 AM and she fussed for a minute then finally fell asleep. She pooped twice last night during this fiasco and it was small, and green! Not yellow like all day before...but now it's back to yellow. This worried me because I thought her latch was wrong and she wasn't getting enough...wouldn't that explain the green stool and her not settling? I also thought perhaps she was just cluster feeding or something. Why would she just randomly stop napping? I always had to wake her to feed during the day...now, she will just sit or lay there wide awake. I thought that was a good thing, maybe she'd be tired and sleep at night but boy, was I wrong!

I'm wondering if this is a growth spurt or if is she is just not satisfied? I can't tell if she's nursing for comfort or whatever else....every week is a new hurdle and I'm DESPERATELY trying not to give up but I'm confused. I don't even know what I am asking, just putting my story out there maybe someone can help me make sense of what is going on. I'd like to add that I am currently on an anti-fungal medication because I had burning and itchy nipples, no fever or other symptoms.. Seems to be getting better, baby had no visible symptoms of thrush at the time i started the meds.

LO has been great other than this...first week was a TRUE NIGHTMARE! Second week had me hoping....and until now, she had been sleeping and doing great! Maybe it's just a small bump in the road but her not napping and settling at night like she has been is driving me up the wall! I know newborns are unpredictable and make their own schedules and rules, but I really want to understand this more! My mom didn't breast feed any of her children, but me for a short time so I have no other place to go for suggestions/guidance. Sorry for the novel- Just needed to purge all of that info out of my head!

Re: New week, new headache!

I don't understand-what is the problem that is so severe you want to give up, after all your struggles and hard work??

I think you are really tired, maybe hitting a wall. I suggest, get help today (not to feed baby, more on that in a minute,) but help with whatever else and get a good nap in. Being overtired is normal for new mom of course but it can make little things seem very overwhelming.

Newborn babies don't sleep all that much. They are hungry and trying to gain weight like mad. That is thier job. They want to nurse and nurse and nurse and nurse. Most do not sleep well unless they are sleeping on mom or dad. And they sleep in short snatches. Day and night.

your LO is not unpredictable- this is very predictable, normal newborn behavior. It's normal. You are not going to get long stretches of sleep. No new parent does. So you must grab sleep when you can.

Because your baby had latch issues early on, and you fear a latch issues starting again, I strongly suggest, ditch the daddy gives baby a bottle plan. Find other ways to increase your overall sleep. (for example-Dad can get up with baby and walk baby around, Dad can bring baby to you just to nurse, then take baby for diaper change etc. if needed. You can consider if bedsharing is right for you.) Bottles early on are problematic for many reasons and should be avoided if possible.

If you have thrush, then your baby needs to be treated even if baby has no symptoms. Or it comes back. Who diagnosed thrush?

Re: New week, new headache!

Sorry, I forgot to say welcome to the forum! I am sorry it was so difficult to log in. Do you have local LLL or other new momma support (mommy and me groups, that kind of thing?) Very helpful for mom especially in early intense weeks.

Re: New week, new headache!

Initially, I was having the burning, stabbing and itching and that's when I called the doctor. I had read on this site the symptoms and stated to the nurse that I was afraid I might have thrush. She told me to take the meds and see if it improves, asked if baby had symptoms and she doesn't...so that's when she prescribed me the anti-fungal medication. So technically I guess she didn't diagnose anything, just quizzed me about symptoms.

I'll try to have DH skip the bottle and let me nurse her and see if that works. Initially I was concerned he wasn't getting enough and that's when the bottle came into play. I still can't seem to get her to re-latch like before though.

Here are two simple pictorials, you want the one on latch. Notice that the mother is in a “slightly” laid back position, looks like on a couch? This is a very “adjustable” position, play around to find how you and your baby are most comfortable. http://cwgenna.com/quickhelp.html

Re: New week, new headache!

welcome and congrats!

meg has great advice above.

pretty much everything you're describing is normal. i would suggest, since you know that baby's gaining weight and pooping and peeing a lot, to LET GO of so much micromanaging of everything else she does. newborns are predictably unpredictable; if you get up in arms about how she took a 30 min nap today but didn't yesterday etc, you are going to drive yourself nuts!!! because this stuff changes all the time, and pretty much as soon as you figure out what pattern she's established, it will change. so watch the baby, not the clock. let her sleep when she wants, let her nurse as much as she wants whenever she wants, and get help to manage everything else in your life- DH should be cooking/cleaning/laundry/groceries, not bottle-feeding while you're around. your job is to nurse and to sleep when she sleeps. in an ideal world!

Re: New week, new headache!

Thanks for the advice! The pain is deep and shooting throughout my breast and all around feels like its on fire after she nurses. Hopefully it'll clear up. I realize I shouldn't over think everything she does but I'm learning...I think I'm just desperate for some consistency. Mom and DH are working round the clock to clean and cook, run errands and wait on us. It's just impossible for me to nap for some reason! I will find a way. And thanks again!